Who has never confidently claimed that dark chocolate can cure serious mental disorders like depression? This claim is… a lie. And yet, 51.3% of French people “completely” or “rather agree” with it. However, this false information is circulating on social networks, from Facebook to X, Instagram, WhatsApp or TikTok. For a year, the Descartes Foundation, which was created in 2019 to combat misinformation, conducted a study with 4,000 adults in metropolitan France to measure the impact of medical misinformation on citizens’ behavior.
The result of this survey published this Thursday is clear. French people who learn about medical news, especially on social networks, have less health knowledge than the rest of the population and exhibit more medical behaviors than others. “I expected we would see a connection. And I expected that social media would not be a good side because more misinformation is being circulated through these channels;explains Figaro Laurent Cordonnier, sociologist and research director of the Descartes Foundation. The ratio of false things to true things is the strongest here.”
Vaccine variations and Covid-19
Consequently, about 12% of French people have already given up medical treatment in favor of alternative therapies (osteopathy, acupuncture, reflexology, magnetism, etc.). And two out of ten respondents say they have already refused vaccines (except for Covid-19) for themselves and/or their children. “On average, these risky health behaviors are performed by people who demonstrate lower levels of health literacy than the rest of the population.”, the investigation notes. Who adds: these same people? “Declare more interest in health news than other respondents”. But they mostly get their information from social networks, YouTube and instant messages.
Similarly, 13.7% of respondents say they have refused the Covid-19 vaccine. If this category has a “Less interest in health topics than the rest of the population and lower frequency of information on medical news”, he uses more often than others, from social networks, YouTube and instant messaging. What these three groups of people have in common is their distrust of the medical and scientific community, institutions, and government. However, Laurent Cordonier notes, there have been no vaccine fluctuations related to Covid-19. “Work on this phenomenon dates back to the 2009 H1-N1 flu pandemic. It was almost non-existent before.”. “But on the other hand. adds the sociologist. The Covid episode has reactivated this phenomenon.”
The doctor is the first source of information
Health information is a topic of interest to the French. According to the survey, 42.5% of respondents say they are “very” or “extremely” interested in medical information and news. But, the first paradox, only 13% are informed about the topic on a daily basis, compared to 70% of the general news. The age group with the best knowledge is 65 and over, while 25-34 and 35-49 have the worst results. 18-24 year olds are average.
The doctor remains the first source of information about health problems of the respondents (40%). Followed by general media (28%) and specialized websites (21%). Nevertheless, “Although the general media are the main public channel of health information for the French, the latter still have moderate trust in them on the subject.”. Consequently, social networks are relatively less consulted as a channel for health information, with 14% of respondents saying they visit Facebook “often” to keep up with medical news “very often”. Next are YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Thus, reports the study, “The more participants regularly inform themselves with their doctor or through general media, the better their health knowledge will be on average.”. Unlike those who often turn to social networks, whose health knowledge index is low. Moreover, Laurent Cordonier notes. “Participants’ health knowledge is lower on average as they sensitize themselves to alternative therapies as well as new age beliefs. [un mélange personnel de croyances d’origines diverses, NDLR] and the paranormal”. And the more sensitive the French are to these beliefs, the more sensitive they are to the signals of alternative therapies.
“Real concern for public health”
The latter are extremely common in France, the study reminds, but are not without dangers “Especially when they are perceived and used as substitutes for traditional medicine”. According to a survey carried out in April 2023 by Odoxa for the interdepartmental mission to combat vigilance and sectarian abuse (Miviludes), 89% of French people have already used at least one alternative treatment therapy. “The French still trust science, but they see it in a much more ambivalent way. Perhaps there is a spiritual void that needs to be filled and people will dig into new age spiritualities to try to find meaning and balance. When it comes to alternative therapies, it’s very connected because it’s not just an offer of care, it’s a whole world of beliefs. Interest in alternative therapies also has its origins lack of care. When you don’t have a doctor, why not go to a magnetist who is available?the sociologist deciphers.
According to Laurent Cordonier. “Something central to healthy beliefs is at stake. Esoteric beliefs, like alternative therapies, are gaining ground in France. Book sales in the esoteric sector increased from 41 million euros to 66 million euros in 2019-2022.. a “Real concern for public health”he warns.
Source: Le Figaro
I am John Sinkler, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in writing about entertainment-related topics and have been doing so for several years now. My work has been featured on multiple platforms and I’m proud to say that it’s gained recognition from many people in the industry. Aside from working at Buna Times, I also write freelance articles for other publications.